Book By Its Cover, Brothers, laughing with teens, Providence, a duo, John Lewis, a week.

1. A week off. Time to work, play, get quiet in my studio.

2. Last week, Congressman John Lewis (Georgia, D) was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. It is the highest civilian honor and so well deserved.

3. So love this duo- GUSH! Garance (Dore) and Scott (Schumann, the Sartorialist) featured in NY Magazine.

4. Time with friends in Providence, RI. Great fun at the 2nd Story Theatre, some bar, and Craftland. Really the time with wonderful, talented, smart, kind, funny friends was the sweetest, most lovely element of the weekend trip.

5. How often I laugh with my teenage students. Love them.

6. I have been listening to Brothers by the Black Keys. A lot. Real good. The smokin' hot kind of goodness.

7. My good friend, Tony, brought me over to the sketchbooks featured on this great blog, Book By Its Cover. I will be making that a habit!

Bayard Rustin, a euphoric Egypt, Vik, Islamic tile, carrot soup, Tinkers, the pacifying tree.

1. I was reminded of this inspiring man, Bayard Rustin, featured on the State of the Reunion program on National Public Radio. A gay man who was a pacifist, an essential ingredient in the Civil Rights movement. Extraordinary. Why did we not learn about him in high school?

2. A euphoric Egypt! Bless them!

3. I love Vik Muniz: witty, inspiring, genius.

4. I have been looking at Islamic tile design.

5. For dinner in the coming week… carrot soup.

6. A book that I am reading now…. Tinkers by Paul Harding.

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7. The pacifying tree. Beautiful, poetic, funny, nostalgic for childhood via the lovely Camilla Engman .

Paperwork, magenta, laying in bed, Wednesday, prospective soup and cupcakes, Neko Case

1. I am very much looking forward to this show coming up in May, Paperwork in 3d at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburen, VT. Thanks for letting me know about it, Sheila! I love paper and I love Vermont!

2. Magenta ink

3. Laying in bed, listening to the sounds of snow falling on the roof, water gently gurgling through the pipes.


4. I spent Wednesday listening to the radio about the uprising in Egypt while I painted in my studio. A snow day, a groundhog, and the broadcast of a rebellion. I am hoping the that some kind of animal can foresee democracy for this country.

5. To make soon: adzuki bean and butternut squash soup.

6. And also: carrot cake cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

7. Neko Case. To celebrate day 1 of year 37. There was no better way to do it.

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Howard Zinn, warming mustard bath, The Selby, split pea soup, color scheming, Andrea Dezso, Bespoke

1. Remembering the anniversary of the death of Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922- January 27, 2010). A hero.

2. I am a religious bath taker. Almost every night. I made a batch of this warming mustard bath. Inexpensive therapy that works wonders.

3. The other day, one of my super cool students introduced me to this project site, The Selby. Right up my alley! Thanks, Brenda!

4. JMP (husband) made an enormous pot of thick, delicious, warming split pea soup that lasted us three dinner meals.

5. I am having my high school students reference this site for considering color palettes for their project. What fun! What choices!

6. With that same project, we are taking a look at the incredible tunnel books of NY artist, Andrea Dezso. Last spring, my sister and I saw her work at the amazing "Slash: Paper Under the Knife" exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design, NY. What a fun and inspiring sister adventure that was! (I cherish those times with her.)

7. So wish that JMP and I had a chance to catch this exhibit there at MAD, too. "Bespoke: the Handbuilt Bicycle." When bicycles and art meet, we happily coexist.

"I am a man," chai at home, the color-in dress, brown butter spice cake (pending), winter vegetable chowder, sloths, bicycle rush hour

1. This picture is in my studio: Memphis strike, 1968, by Ernest Withers. In remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this past week, this image comes to mind. I look at this picture each day.

2. Making chai at home in my stump pot.

3. I was reminded again of this amazing artist who created a color- in dress.

4. On the list of things to make, consume this coming week: Brown butter spice cake from Heidi Swanson at 101 cookbooks.

5. A favorite soup recipe of ours that we made this week: Winter vegetable chowder from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

6. Sloths were my favorite childhood animal. Can you see why? They savor rest, calm, and good company. Watch the "Meet the residents of the Aviaros sloth orphanage" video.

7. Bicycle rush hour, Utrecht, the Netherlands. A beautiful sight. I so long to live in a place where this is the expectation in getting oneself around.

a snow day, mexican lasagna, portlandia, chai rice pudding, valerie roybal, a visual life, the sketchbook project

1. A project that I am finishing up. My theme is “If you lived here…”
http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject
postmarked by tomorrow.

·2. Intel Visual Life: The Sartorialist

Blogger Scott Schumann, aka, The Sartorialist, shares “leading a visual life” and “reacting to what you are seeing.”

3. I like the simplicity of this work by Valerie Roybal.

4. Chai rice pudding: I long for it when it is cold. I made a huge pot of it earlier this week.

5. I have not had a television since 1998. A couple of times a month, JMP and I watch a show via hulu on our small laptop. We happened upon this ridiculously hilarious show, "Portlandia," premiering on January 21st on the Independent Film Channel. Since it may well be the first and last time we are able to watch it (unless hulu continues to run the upcoming episodes), we want to make sure someone else out there gets to enjoy it.

6. Mexican lasagna. It very well ought to be my husband's middle name. He made it last night for dinner.

7. A snow day in the middle of the week. It was all about a lot of coffee, drawing and quiet.